OH GOODY, GOODY, GOODY – AT 10:26 A.M. ET:  Don't you love it when journalists mess up and confirm what we already think about them?

It happened this morning on CNN, where such demonstrations of journalistic inadequacy are disturbingly common.  In this case I was surprised because the interviewer was the usually sturdy and capable Candy Crowley, who, sadly, descended into some pretty obvious bias in interviewing Senator Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire, who has been rumored to be on Mitt Romney's short list of possible vice-presidential picks. 

Crowley joyously listed Mitt Romney's "gaffes" during his trip to London, helped along by the CNN graphics department, which generously supplied a printed list flashed on the screen.  Crowley mentioned Romney's criticism of Olympic preparations in London, then another matter, and then...she mentioned that Romney broke protocol by publicly mentioned a briefing he'd received from Britain's foreign intelligence service, known as MI-6. 

Now, everyone with a pulse knows that MI-6 is pronounced em-eye six, the MI standing for Military Intelligence.  But Crowley, incredibly, pronounced it em-one six.  I kid you not.  I almost gasped out loud, and would have done so if a liberal had been present.  Any kid who's ever seen a James Bond movie knows it's em-eye six.  And this was during a discussion of gaffes.  To the woodshed, Ms. Crowley.  Five whacks.

Believe me, it happens all the time.  When I was in journalism I often observed how ill-informed many journalists actually are.  (Others are well informed, I concede.)  You can't always take them seriously.

Speaking of journalism, I've noticed that a familiar pattern is becoming more and more prominent.  I've identified this before.  In the 2008 campaign, John McCain thought he'd get a fair shake from the press, which had always been decent to him.  He did not.  As election day approached, the press tipped more and more toward its darling, Barack Obama, turning on McCain.  The same thing is happening now.  The bias in the press is increasing week by week, as the same love of Obama emerges once more.  The passion may not be as deep, but the media has an investment in Obama, and it isn't going to admit that it invested unwisely.

Romney has to overcome press bias by speaking directly to the American people, over the heads of reporters.  He can do this through intelligently designed ads, to run in the fall.  I assume they're in production.  They'd better be.

July 29,  2012